Wow! This was the first Lucinda Berry book I've read, and I can't wait to read more of her books! I love the "psychology" in psychological thrillers, and Lucinda Berry is a clinical psychologist-turned-writer, which makes her stories so much more interesting and authentic! (It's always good when an author knows the subject they're writing about really well!)

I loved the dual-mystery aspect, finding out what happened when the main characters were kids, and then also what's happening "now". But my favourite part of the story has to be Krystal trying to figure out Nichole's mental condition, and also trying to figure out what happened the night with her husband!

I was so captured by this book I didn't even have time to guess or try to predict how it might end - and I likely wouldn't have been able to anyway! So good!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for gifting me a digital copy of the latest book by a favorite author, Lucinda Berry. 4.5 stars rounded up!

Krystal and Nichole are closer than sisters, bonded together by sharing a foster home and a traumatic event when they were teenagers. Now adults, Krystal is a family law attorney and Nichole is married to Aiden and a popular teacher. But when Nichole is taken to a psychiatric facility accused of setting her house and fire and trying to kill Aiden, Krystal drops everything to try and save Nichole. She hires a lawyer and works with the doctors and detectives to try to find answers - but those answers lead back to their shared past and a terrible secret.

Lucinda Berry is a former clinical psychologist and a research in childhood trauma, so of course she nails it! Everything the sisters go through as a result of their trauma feels so real. The book is told from the POV of both Krystal and Nichole in the present time as well as before. There were lots of twists and turns in this thriller - highly recommended!

If you like physiological thrillers it doesn't get any better than this! Lucinda Berry is a master of her craft. The characters Kristal and Nichole grew up together in foster care. The bond they created was what got them through their abusive existence. Krystal became a lawyer while Nichole became a teacher and was married to an architect. There was lots of twists and turns throughout and this was told in a then and now way so you get the back story as well as the present one. The only negative for me was the ending. I would have liked an epilogue to know more about what happened to everyone.. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys this genre.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this incredible ARC for my honest opinion.

Secrets. Trauma. Lies.

Krystal and Nicole are foster sisters who formed their own family unit soon after they met. From a young age, they have always been there for each other. That does not change when Nicole is committed to a psychiatric hospital after trying to kill her husband, Aiden. Krystal cannot believe it. Nicole and Aiden were the perfect couple. She even went on weekend trips with them. Wouldn't she know if they were having problems? Her sister told her everything, didn't she? Desperate to help her sister she is determined to get answers.

As Krystal searches for the truth of what happened that pivotal night, she learns that her sister and her husband had secrets. Who doesn’t? But her sister, who appeared so happy is now experiencing what appears to be a psychotic break.

The book is told through alternating past and present chapters. As their past life in foster care is laid bare, we see how their bond was formed, the life they led, and a childhood tragedy affected Nicole deeply.

Lucinda Berry is a former clinical psychologist who also was a leading researcher in childhood trauma and utilizes her knowledge in writing her books. She can delve into her character's psyche and accurately describe symptoms, treatment, use diagnostic terms and diagnosis in her books.

I found the book to be well written and plotted. I really enjoyed how the past and present chapters provided insight. We see how tragedy, trauma and secrets can affect someone.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loved it!! There were so many twists and turns. I had no idea who to believe and wasn't expecting that ending. Nichole and Krystal have been through so much with each other. Good, bad and horrible. Their childhood was extremely traumatic. Nichole never really got over what happened. Why didn't she ever seek out help?? She desperately needed it. Wouldn't forensics and great police work reveal what really happened to Alice? The police had to know the truth wasn't being told. I was surprised when everything was finally revealed. I enjoyed the story, characters (even though most of them were all sorts of crazy/liars) and writing style.

Definitely recommend the book. It's a great psychological thriller and will keep you guessing until the very end. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Secrets of Us is a spellbinding story of two inseparable foster sisters whose childhood secrets haunt them through their adult lives. Told in a “then and now” format, the author expertly unfolds the story, which will keep you totally engrossed and have your head spinning. Set some time apart as you’ll want to finish this is one sitting! Great read! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Lucinda Berry book, and unfortunately it just didn't work for me. It started off with a bang, and had a ton of potential, but it really just fell flat at every turn. None of the characters felt real to me so I formed no connection to any of them.

I was trying to figure out if Nichole was supposed to be painted as an unreliable narrator, and admittedly her flashback chapters were the most intriguing of the book, but not enough to keep me engaged past the point of just finishing the book to see how it turned out. And that didn't even really happen, since it ends so abruptly I thought I was missing chapters. I've seen really great reviews on Ms. Berry's other books, so maybe this one just wasn't a good fit for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy of this title in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars
This is only my second Lucinda Berry novel I read and really liked "The Best of Friends" and have been looking forward to this story.
This story features foster sisters Krystal and Nicole who lived a troubled childhood and are closer than most biological sisters.
Story is told the POV of both and additionally goes back and forth between then and now.
They have a sad childhood raised by a foster mother who has a mean daughter who can do no wrong.
Krystal and Nicole have each other and are able to cope.

Present day story is when Nicole has gone off the rails and tried to murder her husband by blocking the door to the bedroom and setting the house on fire.
I read enough psychological stories to expect twists and turns but I love to try to figure them out.
This was a great read and had me curious every page.
Found myself saying: Wait! What?

Want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer ~ Thomas & #38; Mercer for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me for an honest professional review.
Pub Date was June 1, 2021

Lucinda Berry is a one click author for me. Her writing is brilliant. Her past in psychology really shines.

“Not everyone’s like us. Lots of siblings hate each other for the same reasons we love each other.”

In this story, Nichole has been placed in a psych ward for trying to burn her house down with her husband that she adores locked inside. Why would she do something like this?

Krystal, an attorney and the closest person to Nichole, springs into action to defend her sister. These two have been through some dark times since early childhood. The book is from Nichole and Krystal’s POV and each are wonderful. I didn’t want to put the book down so be ready to be sucked in.

Thank you to Thomas Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Secrets between Us by Lucinda Berry is a thriller that will leave you wanting more! I could not put this book down! Eagerly turning the pages I read it in one sitting.

Krystal and Nichole went through some horrible experiences together as children and formed an unbreakable bond. When Krystal gets a phone call that Nichole was committed to a psych ward after attempting to kill her husband, Krystal drops everything to find out the truth. Secrets have a way of revealing themselves and what we discover in this twisty thriller will shock you!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

Hooked from start to finish!

I read this book in one day - I could not put it down. It alternates between the past and the present, and each time I would be on the edge of my seat. When she would switch to the past I would think "NO, dont leave me hanging". Then I would get sucked into the past, and when she would switch it was another "No".

I thought the writing was excellent. I saw a couple reviews that called it simplified, or that it had no depth. Who cares? Maybe it's not the next War and Peace.. But I totally escaped into the book and felt a part of the story - and isn't this what we want in a book?

II really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review (you should see some of my reviews.,lol)

✨Book Review: The Secrets of Us by Lucinda Berry✨

📖: Sisters Nichole and Krystal grew up in a foster home with an awful foster family but now they are successful adults. When a terrible tragedy strikes for Nichole and she lands in a psych ward, Krystal does everything possible to help. But will she be able to get to the bottom of it... through all the secrets? And who else has something to hide? The sisters must work together to save themselves from the life they left behind.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: MAJOR BOOK HANGOVER! I read this book in 16 hours (again, would have been quicker but something about being a mom... and to take care of my kids 🤷🏻‍♀️). I could NOT put it down! I was hooked from the very first page. Berry is an outstanding writer. She knows all the heart strings to pull at just the right times. It was deep, dark, addictive, and raw. The characters felt so reel and Berry was really able to dig into their emotions. There were twists and turns in all the right places and I just didn’t want it to end. If you are a psychological thriller fan, you NEED this book! If you aren’t a psychological thriller fan, you will be have you read this!

See more of my reviews on IG! @TheMom.Who.Reads

This is a slow burning mystery surrounding Nichole’s mental state. She’s admitted the psychiatric hospital after trying to kill her husband, Aiden. Aiden has been cheating on her with Marie Davenport, who died. Nichole’s only support is her foster sister/best friend, Krystal, and once she hears about Nichole’s situation she comes to her defense. But in doing so Krystal relives tragic events in their upbringing and digs up secrets. It picks up towards the end with a few twists. Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

I read The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry and loved it so I was very excited to get to read The Secrets of Us, and once again I was not disappointed!

The story centers around two foster sisters, Krystal and Nichole who had a very rough childhood and relied on their close bond to get them through it. They have grown into adults with an even closer relationship. Krystal is a successful lawyer and Nichole is the wife of seemingly perfect Aiden. The story starts out with Krystal being called out of court to go to the hospital where Nichole is in the psych ward after having burnt down her house with her husband trapped inside.

From there the story goes from Krystal's present day POV, to Nichole's "THEN" growing up in foster care.. There is a secret they are hiding from their childhood and Krystal is trying to protect it at all costs.

There were so many twists and turns in this book. I changed my opinions on characters multiple times and really had no idea where it was going, (in the best way). Nichole is in the psych ward for pretty much the entire book but throughout it I kept going back and forth - is she crazy? did she know exactly what she was doing? wait, no she's crazy...! but wait maaaybe... up until literally the last page.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to like this one more, but they can't all be winners.

If found the writing to be slightly novice and hoped for a few more twists and turns.

As always, thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and report honest feedback!

Krystal and Nichole are extremely close foster sisters who have managed to build successful and happy lives until Nichole is charged with setting her house on fire and attempting to kill her husband whom she barricaded in their bedroom. Krystal can't believe the charges, and when finally allowed to visit her sister in the hospital, she finds Nichole in an extremely bad way. She's drugged up on numerous medications as the doctors work to figure out what's going on - when found at the scene of the fire, she was singing and dancing on the lawn, clearly not in her right state of mind. But the more Krystal hears from Nichole, the more she starts thinking that she just might be guilty after all.

We learn about their years growing up with a strict and unloving foster mother and sister. They enjoyed school and were popular students, but their life at home on the farm was unbearable. A terrible accident changed the course of their lives and caused Nichole to slowly lose touch with reality until Krystal was able to help her reach some sense of stability. Krystal can't believe it's happened again and sees now that something truly horrible must have pushed Nichole over the edge. She's determined to figure out what led Nichole to commit such atrocities before she loses her sister forever.

A definite page-turner, the story is set alternately in the past and present so that just when you're left with a cliff hanger in one time period, you switch back and have to wait through another chapter or so until you get the resolution. It works for building suspense, but gets frustrating after awhile. And the conclusion of the story leaves you with so many questions. Almost like it was too hard to determine the consequences of so many people due to various legal and ethical grey areas that the author just didn't address any of it. Readers invest considerable time and energy with these characters, so a little closure shouldn't be too much to ask for!

Lucinda Berry did it again!
This is the story of foster sisters Krystal and Nichole whose lives turned out in completely different ways. Krystal is a lawyer in the middle of an important trial when she rushes off to be there for Nichole who is committed to a psychiatric hospital after trying to kill her husband.

So what happened in her live to make Nichole commit such a horrible crime?
The story is told form Krystal’s point of view in the present Nichole’s in the past. I always enjoy this writing style since the development of the characters feels so vital.
Both, Krystal and Nicole are very strong women who had to life through tragic events.
Thanks #NetGalley and # Thomas & Mercer for and ARC of this fantastic book

I liked The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry so much that I could not wait to read the Secrets of Us. If you crave psychological thrillers as much as I do, then this book will certainly satisfy that craving. I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Lucinda Berry does a fabulous job of keeping you on the edge of your seat with twists , turns and the uncovering of secrets that will literally make you gasp out loud as you read them. She really knows how to get deep into her characters' minds and develop her books into page-turning masterpieces.

Foster sisters Krystal and Nichole share so many dark secrets from their past that eventually come back to haunt them. Nichole has not carried the burden of her secrets as well as Krystal and she is seriously messed up. Pretty much every character in this book is messed up in some way or another.

I know this is an uncorrected proof but how is this book so unedited that “300 acres” is seen as prestigious?

This is my second Lucinda Berry book. I really enjoyed The Best of Friends and I liked The Secrets of Us even more. The story is told in alternating viewpoints of the main characters - Krystal and Nichole - and it goes back and forth between current and their childhood. They met as foster children on the same farm where their foster mother and her daughter made their lives miserable. In the present, Nichole is in a psychiatric hospital after she set her home on fire with her husband in it. The book unravels the secrets of Krystal and Nichole’s childhood and Nichole’s marriage to find out what would drive her to this act. Thanks to #netgalley and #thomas&mercer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.